27.11.08

Another lovely lady blogger, The Seeker, left a comment on my previous post, asking if I'd visited her and left a comment.

Well, I haven't visited her blog before, so stopped by earlier to see the comment left. Suffice to say, it wasn't the sort of comment I would leave on someones blog and have left her a comment to confirm this was not me.

So, there is another Sharon Rose in blogland. This is Sharon-Rose (note the hyphen used, which I don't have in my name). This blogger has a grey symbol by their name (not the orange blogger B that I have).

So, if any of you receive rude, negative comments from Sharon-Rose, please be assured this is not from me or my blog. It is not my style to leave comments of this nature as this is not my personality or nature at all.

I'm pleased it's come to light as I can do this post to confirm it, plus, I have my picture by my name to show the real ME.

UPDATED TO ADD-I'm so pleased to report that the one good thing to come out of this is The Seeker and I will be keeping in touch! She is a lovely lady I've not come across before, so it will be a pleasure to visit her blog regularly!

25.11.08

Check out lovely Kate for her experience of Gaps customer service in case you need their help before buying anything-you'll be better off doing your own homework if you desire a coveted piece that you can't get hold of first!!

23.11.08

I'm a great fan of Corine Roitfelds style and ever since I saw her in this denim skirt, I knew I had to get the 'perfect denim skirt'.

(Photos: Getty Images)

I had two denim skirts that I decided were no longer the right style, shape, colour and length anymore and they were donated to the charity shop some months back. When I want a particular item now, I hold out until I feel I've found the right one.

On my last thrift visit, I found this Warehouse denim skirt for only 50p! I also found a lighter wash A line style by H&M for £1.50. The one I'm wearing is perfect for me, the length is right, I love the front split and its hugging without being too tight. The colour is ideal for wearing anytime of the year too.

I'm pleased to have a couple of denim skirts in my wardrobe now-they are a basic staple and as I'm mainly a casual dresser anyway, I can dress them up with a lovely top, accessories and heels if needs be.

21.11.08

The lovely WendyB recently tried these gorgeous Dr Marten boots, but alas, without success. I loved them as soon as I saw them, but they don't have them in an 8, sigh!! But a quality gorgeous boot for the money for anyone else looking for that perfect winter boot!!

Dr Martens, £75

Of course, I had to browse the rest of Browns offerings (click on my title link to do the same) and here are my favourites of whats about: Golden Goose, £410

20.11.08

On Sunday, I went to the boot sale and found this 80s leather jacket. I remember having a black batwing sleeved leather jacket back then and I loved the fastenings on this one, so for £3, I had to bring it home with me!!

I wanted a loose fit black leather jacket, so I can wear it more in winter too.

Aah, the 80s revisited!! Some trends like cycling shorts for going out in (for the gym is obviously acceptable!), or the curly perm, will never be revisited by me, but I love batwing sleeves, body con dresses and leggings- I might even be persuaded to try shoulder pads again and acid wash (snow wash) denim if I found the right pieces!! Its all about having fun and trying different styles, thrifting allows that without breaking the bank!!.

17.11.08

Now its coming to winter, I'm finding it hard to put a spring into my step-style wise.

I've noticed that I've been thrifting a lot of black items recently and as much as they are staples for my wardrobe, black can be boring if its not jazzed up a bit. So, inspired by some fellow bloggers, here are some tips for putting a bit of a zing into your outfit:

1. Wear bright opaques tights, like Charlotte, such as purple, fuschia, red or royal blue.

2. Dig out a colourful silk scarf and tie it to your handbag or knot it round your neck.

3. Get out a coloured bag for winter-red or orange is a good contrast for an all black outfit.

4. Get out the statement jewellery-costume or the real thing will really lift an outfit.

5. Looking for new trousers? Take the lovely Karen and WendyBs lead and if you haven't already, consider some citrus brights to liven things up-they are a great year rounder.

Hope this inspires you to put some colour into your life-if all else fails, put some red lippy on!!

16.11.08

This seasons knits at Net-A-Porter feature short sleeved cardigans. I am a great fan of these, as they are great for layering and are so cosy and stylish too.

Missoni short sleeved cardigan, £560

Chloe short sleeved cardigan, £895

So, inspired by these delightful offerings on Net A Porter and not having one of my own, I thought I would customise what I already have. A few months back, I thrifted two lambswool longline cardis, in a wine colour and an indigo blue. I decided to customise the blue one and leave the wine coloured one intact!

This is the end result of my handiwork-sleeves chopped off and rolled up and the lapels have been sewn back with original buttons to create a V neck rather than the original round neck, which I prefer. As you can see, it is an ideal layering piece to keep cosy in winter.

14.11.08

Rules: Pass it on to five other bloggers, and tell them to open the nearest book to page 46. Write out the fifth sentence on that page, and also the next two to five sentences.

My nearest book was Ossie Clark 1965-1974 by Judith Watt. I turned to page 45, as there are pictures on 46-47.

"In the middle of the room stood the fitter/technician, Mr Polaris, and at the far end behind her desk sat Janey Ironside. She managed to balance authority with sympathy and very sure judgement. Her aim was to help you do the very best you could in your own style. When she said 'I don't think this is working, do you?' you knew it was not a question. The textile designer Natalie Gibson was present at the degree show in June 1965, held at the Gulbenkian Hall. 'It was the days when you would have a wedding dress at the end of the collection: Ossie made a huge white dress with fairy lights, very magical'.

So, quite appropiately, this now goes to 5 bloggers who I know have a love of books, fashion history and/or Ossie Clark:

11.11.08

A totally non fashion post-this is a big shout out for my son Chris. His school are being featured on the Saatchi Gallery online and his piece from year nine is being exhibited on there! Click on my title link to see the picture at the Saatchi Gallery!

I'm soo proud, my son has work exhibited in a gallery-it is online, but it is a massive achievement all the same-well done son!!

9.11.08

Well, following on from yesterdays post, I thought I would show you the Topshop gilet I managed to thrift yesterday. I have been inspired by Etro and Guccis gilets this autumn, but I didn't want a full furry one, as the majority of them are dry clean only, so too high maintenance if I'm going to wear regularly!

Etro also featured a gorgeous black and leather studded one in S/S 08

I'd love one like this too, sigh...!!

Now its been freshly laundered, its ready to go and will go with virtually anything in my wardrobe. It is a handy addition to keep me cosy and stylish. I have my wool gilet too, so thats my fill of this trend for now!

8.11.08

I love browsing different sites for thrift inspiration. I was after a warm gilet, but not a totally fur one or a puffa padded one. I browsed Topshop and got some great inspiration from these gorgeous ones, currently available online:

Mongolian Sheepskin Gilet, £85

Tailored Waistcoat, £40

The lovely Marian at House of Style is wearing a customised waistcoat very similiar to the grey one-check it out, as this is a great diy project which Marian shows to be very stylish indeed!

Leather hooded waistcoat, £60

Leather biker gilet, £75

So, armed with an idea of what I wanted on my thrift trip today, I was pleased to score a lovely fur and denim padded Topshop gilet for £3.99. I also got a leather mini skirt, £2.99, to wear with opaque tights, flat boots and a winter woollie jumper or cardi.

I'll update with piccys in the week, as our camera is out of action at the moment!! Hope you are all having a great weekend!

6.11.08

Browsing the Times earlier, I came across this article, which gives some great tips for dressing up knitwear this Autumn.

I think this is the time all of us will be stocking up not only on scarves, hats, gloves and tights, but always some statement knits in the form of jumpers, cardigans, dresses, waistcoats (vests) and even leggings.

3.11.08

I was browsing the Guardian online fashion pages and came across this article. Titled 'The Thrift Guide-How to stop Shopping', I was intrigued and put off at the same time-who wants more stuff about the credit crunch shoved under their noses?

Anyhow, click on my link to read the whole article if interested. But the main reason I've pulled some of these suggestions, is now winter is drawing in, I no longer have my boot sales to look forward to at weekends and really wanted some alternative things to do, instead of hitting the shops and charity shops all the time. I don't really have hobbies as such, although I do enjoy thrifting very much. Even that gets boring after a while, though.

So, from the list here are some real contenders of how I may spend my spare time:

Knit-Funnily enough, sorting through the cupboards this morning, I came across a bag full of wool (and hopefully knitting needles!). I knitted like mad when I was 16, but after a few jumpers done, the novelty wore off and never returned-until now!

Charity Shops-yes, once in a while, won't hurt-I am contradicting myself, I know!! But I ultimately know, I do need that fix once a week to check out any potential goodies.

Leave your gym-Well, I can't leave it as I never joined in the first place, but getting dressed up warmly and going for a nice, brisk walk sounds the order of the day (not every day, but some!)

Then some of my own ideas, not on the list:

Learn to use my inherited Singer sewing machine-My Ossie is still languishing, waiting to be rehemmed and brought back to its former glory. A year on, I've still not found a decent seamstress to undertake this job-so why not do it myself? The machine needs to come out of the loft soon and a friend has kindly said she will teach me the basics, so I'm looking forward to this.

Crochet-I've always been intrigued by this and may well indulge in learning how to do this too.

Start Reading again-I really enjoyed reading when I was younger, but have never really got back into it again. I think my charity shop trips can fund a few must reads........

Watch DVDs and Videos more often-Now is the time to catch up on that SATC box set-again, or indulge in some kids movies-I love Toy Story and Home Alone!!

Enjoy some of my husbands cooking concoctions-when we are all hungry and bored, we think of some yummy things for Chris to rustle up in the kitchen-he cooks, we eat, I don't need to be in the kitchen, haha!!

Whats your best ideas for passing time-staying in bed all day sounds good too, LOL!!

2.11.08

Hi everyone!! Hope you are enjoying your Sunday! I've been indulging in a bit of TV earlier and flicking through, I noticed on Channel 4 a program I hadn't watched before, called Frock Me on T4. I thought I'd check it out, as it promised some vintage goodies.

The show is hosted by the the hottest young people of the moment-Alexa Chung and Henry Holland, the designer. I was very excited to see an interview with Leah Wood, who had brought in a selection of her vintage wardrobe and of course, it included a lovely purple number by the master himself, Ossie Clark!!

Alexa getting to grip with the Ossie Clark

The Ossie Clark number is the purple one in the middle, next to it is Leah Woods gold sequin vintage number by Roberto Cavalli

Next up was a selection of Terry De Havilland vintage and new shoes-exquisite platforms that are still in style today

Then more Ossie!! Thanks Chris, for getting these pictures, any longer and I'd of missed them!!

They were advocating how Ossie Clark is the vintage master of the era. Also, if you are soo lucky to find one, be it by thrifting the charity shops or boot sales, then hang on to it for dear life, even if its too small-thanks Henry!!

This one is also an original Ossie Clark, with a Celia Birtwell print-maybe it was Alexas or Leahs!

I love a shout out for Ossie Clark, its great how young girls really appreciate the cut and style of his work and want to grab a piece of the action-check out Ebay if this has whetted your appetite!